Love from our clients

Susan’s team proposed a very beautiful, practical, environment friendly design that included everything we had requested. We were so happy with the design that we signed up to have another home’s landscaping done with Susan’s team. Susan listened to all our objectives and concerns and had them incorporated into the design. The initial designs did not need changes and captured what we had envisioned exactly. They are efficient and are fantastic and keeping you updated with the progress of the project. Very dependable and personable team.

Susan and her team were a joy to work with. Their design for our landscaping project is beautiful and incorporated all of our preferences and feedback. Communication was excellent and they went above to keep us informed and educated us on many aspects of plant selection and care. We highly recommend her.

The SFLA team was an absolute pleasure to work with! From our first meeting/consultation with Ian, to delivery of our final design documents, we felt listened to, supported, and guided throughout the entire design process. Having never done any major design/renovation projects on our own, my husband and I were completely at a loss for where and how to begin the enormous task of rethinking our sizeable but oddly compartmentalized outdoor space to be more welcoming and livable. Ian was incredibly patient with us–he listened to all of our ideas and answered all of our questions (even down to the smallest of things like “where should we put a hose?”). Our overall timeline from first contact to final design documents was approximately 11-ish months, but I think everyone in the world is redoing their exteriors right now (and we weren’t in a rush and we actually liked having time to really think about what we wanted, so the timeline worked for us). I love our final design, and I love that we were fortunate enough to work with a team who values working with native species, being pollinator friendly, and being mindful of water use. I would absolutely recommend working with the SFLA team, and I can’t wait to make their beautiful design a reality as we move towards construction.

Simply put, Susan, and her team, have been FANTASTIC to work with!! The entire team is creative, responsive, responsible, patient, flexible, mindful of creating a series of spaces that blend beautifully, and just all around wonderful to work with. Susan interpreted our “wish list” to create a complete makeover of our backyard, which included: a customized bbq island with generous seating for 6, wine refrigerator, sink and storage; a built-in fire pit area adjacent to a berm with a stunning arrangement of plants, boulders and customized fountain; a large, covered dining area with heaters, lights and ceiling fan; beautiful landscape with additional berms and boulders surrounding the (reduced) lawn, and a stunning makeover of an existing back patio which is now backed by metal screens that are illuminated at night. The mixture of colors and textures of the plants that she selected creates a beautiful and constantly appealing visual. In addition, after the design work and detailed plans were completed, we asked Susan to help us work with the contractor we selected, often being our “voice” on many issues, and an experienced set of “eyes” to make sure the plan we created with her, would be executed as intended.

This is the 2nd time we have worked with Susan and her team. They are exceptional. Every day … every day … we look at the finished result and are grateful.

We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Susan Friedman for landscape design. We moved into our home in February 2020 and our backyard had no landscaping whatsoever, just a black tarp covering the whole yard. When we met with Susan, she asked us what we wanted for our backyard, how we planned to use it, and what our budget was. She and her team then provided us with a plan that included landscaping (trees, shrubs, and plants), hardscaping (two decks, a pergola, a fire pit area, a patio, a play area, a waterfall, and an outdoor kitchen). After receiving our feedback they fine-tuned the design and created detailed construction plans that included plantings, irrigation, and lighting. The project took a long time to complete (blame the pandemic), but now that it’s done we absolutely love our backyard. Every time we go out there, we feel like we’re on vacation.

Susan, Michelle and their whole team are superstars. Excellent design and equally as important excellent service and follow up. After consideration of our vision and budget they presented multiple design concepts. They nailed it. After tweaking our plan they handled the biding process. We met and discussed three excellent bids and chose our contractor. Fantastic! Susan and Michelle met us at the vendor to help pick our pavers. They made site visits throughout construction which was greatly appreciated.

Our relationship with these professionals greatly exceeded our expectations. They were with us from inception to completion. We have the landscaping we envisioned and more. Thank you team!

I am so thrilled to have a yard that is beautiful and inviting for family and friends. It is exactly what I envisioned. You brought it to life! Your attention to detail and to create a space that is functional and attractive have met all of my expectations and hopes for a gorgeous outdoor space. Every time I step outside I feel so lucky and pleased with the result!

I want to thank Susan and staff for the job well done. Starting from the professional design and finishing with oversight of construction resulting in a very successful, happy and very smooth process for this big project.  

I appreciate the time and effort, making this a wonderful experience for me.  

After several design zoom meetings, our detailed discussions and designer’s hard work, we got the landscaping design done. Then we started the landscaping construction.

With a couple of adjustments during the process, Susan and Ian’s professional direction helped the builder complete the project as planned within 2 months.

The finished San Ramon landscaping is beautiful!!   

I will tell all my friends and relatives, Susan Friedman Landscape Architecture is the best Landscaping Design Company you can count on.

Susan and her team strive for aesthetic perfection while always keeping in mind practicality and usable solutions for her clients. Working with her is a pleasure and we, at Air-Sun Screen & Awning, look forward to future co-operative projects.

Susan was gracious and thorough when meeting us to review our ideas for our backyard remodel. She listened to our needs for entertaining a large family, reducing water usage, and gave constructive ideas. We now have a gorgeous living space with native plants, pergola,  bird bath, and perfect lighting. We couldn’t be happier!

I highly recommend Susan Friedman Landscape. She and her staff listened carefully to what we wanted. On approval, she worked closely with the landscape contractor and his crew to assure we had a successful result. She is knowledgeable, professional and made certain that we got the very best result.

Susan Friedman is a creative genius! Many landscape architects can look at a space, and suggest hardscape, lawn, etc. Susan does much more than this! Susan is full of great ideas and energy. She is also very easy to work with, and willing to do whatever is needed to reach the best end result.

Susan Friedman Landscape Architecture is an excellent firm. After interviewing several others, we met with Susan. From the first meeting, the difference was obvious. Not only does Susan have much greater knowledge than most, she has a very refined aesthetic, which matched our needs. I highly recommend Susan and SFLA.

Susan was fabulous! She made our dream garden come true. She was easy to work with, could read our mind, and made it real. I now consider her a friend.

She explained the process clearly, delivered on time and with great detail. I would highly recommend Susan Friedman to anyone who wants to made their dream garden come true.

On both commercial and residential projects, Susan’s ideas and solutions are inviting and uplifting. Susan is the consummate professional and should be regarded as one of the best landscape architects in the San Francisco area.

Susan Friedman provided landscape design services for our back yard, which included plans for the hardscape, planting, and lighting. She also managed the entire landscaping project for us, and followed up with the landscape contractor until it was exactly as we wanted. We were particularly pleased with the way Susan was able to capture our vision from the first meeting. We are very happy with the results and really enjoy our backyard.

I knew Susan was the right person for the project during our 1st meeting. She listened to my ideas, was respectful of my wishes and her plan presentation exceeded my expectations.The end result is beautiful and I would highly recommend Susan for any landscape project!

We worked with Susan Friedman to replace our backyard with California native plants and provide design suggestions for hardscape. With her help, we showcased our project in the “Bringing Back the Natives” garden tour. Susan is very responsive when contacted and is a pleasure to work with.

Susan Friedman Landscape and her staff did a fantastic plan for our front yard remodel and have an elegant sense of design. They took a personal interest in seeing the project to completion. I highly recommend that additional, very reasonable option, upon completion of the plans.

Susan was a pleasure to work with. As a professional engineer, attention to detail is extremely important. We collaborated very well and I found her to be an excellent listener with great ideas, a very creative mind, and practical solutions to challenges.

Susan Friedman and her team helped us to design the perfect outdoor living structure for our yard. She is not only someone I would use again but she is someone I continue to recommend to anyone who is looking for a great landscape designer. Susan Friedman designed the yard we always wanted and we could not have been more pleased with her skills and professionalism.

Susan Friedman redesigned our side yard to solve a drainage issue and to make it more useable. It came out great! Our drainage issue is solved and I love spending time in the space. It’s beautiful.

Susan has designed beautiful drought-tolerant gardens for two houses that we have owned plus those of our friends. She is most knowledgeable on all things green and growing. I love her sense of balance in design and the willingness to work within a set budget. Susan is there every step of the way from concept to finished project.

I thought Susan was very knowledgeable, very thorough and very creative, especially in the hardscape and lighting design. Also, Susan is very gracious and willing to listen. She is an absolute delight to work with and very talented in her field. Also, she was well worth the design fee!

Susan was amazing to work with. Both my wife and I enjoyed the number of choices offered, the experience and the wealth of knowledge Susan had for every aspect of our landscaping project. As the owner of a Commercial Real Estate firm, I know the value of a solid connection for work being done by a contractor and this one is a keeper.

Susan Friedman Landscape has a real current grasp on functional, beautiful and sustainable Landscape design. As an Interior Designer, partnering with them on projects has led to fabulous and successful projects, where the outdoors and indoors are completely integrated.

Susan and her firm took care to listen to our desires and ideas, and the way in which we intended to use utilize our backyard space. She was careful to design a space for us that has proven usable, easy to maintain, that compliments our house and our lifestyle. We could not have designed and planned a space as fitting on our own – the devil is in the details, as is the magic.

Susan and her staff worked with me on a complete remodel of my backyard. After listening to what I wanted, I was very pleased with the designs they came up with. Susan helped pick out every detail for the project and was readily available to make sure it looked good and fit the space. And it’s all beautiful!

I would highly recommend Susan to anyone looking for a landscape architect. She is extremely easy to work with; has a lot of patience and comes up with beautiful designs and in our case, incorporating childhood memories and lifestyle choices. When we are ready to start on our backyard Susan will definitely be the person we hire to work on a design for that.